Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Can you believe one-quarter of the year has passed? I’m in awe of how fast time as sped by. I’m in the Northeast of USA and even though Old man Winter tried his best yesterday to hang on to us, New-Boy-In-Town Spring is taking over. The clouds are breaking up.(YES! There is a sun.) The grass is much greener. Flowers are popping open in the beds, and the buds of the tree are so plump they’re going to spit leaves any minute.

This year I was astounded at how many groups, loops and blogs posted messages concerning goal setting. It seemed every keystroke I found other author offering up advice on how to set goals in many different areas and attain them. Through a personal friend, I joined an on-line support loop for health. It’s been great. I’ve learned new ways to eat and exercise. I’ve received support on those days when I thought I couldn’t do this and I’ve given support to those having weak moments.Since we reached a milestone in the calendar year, I think it’s time to look at the goals we’ve set for 2010 and evaluate them. Do you have one or two goals you’ve excelled at? If so, why do you think you did? Could it be because that is where your passion lies?

Is there one you now realize was actually an outlandish feat to take on, at least in the time frame you’d set up? Put it on a five year goal plan. Break it down. Replace that initial goal with its baby step.

Are there any or many goals where you’ve haven’t made much process on or even started? Why do you think that these ideas are lacking your enthusiasm? Are they harder, bigger, seen as a chore? They must have been important to you just a short 90days ago to be on your list. If they no longer are scratch them off, but if they are still are important really think hard why you haven’t touched them. Maybe they need to be tweaked. Now is the time to do that. Break them into manageable tidbits on a weekly calendar. Join a group offering support. Tell a friend who you know has complained about the same aspiration and work together.Please share your frustrations, your accomplishments, your thoughts concerning your January goals. I’d love to cheer you on or help you figure out ways to move forward.

To kick us off these were my goals which I posted in January, and how I fared.

1) I'm going to take more time with friends. I’M DOING GOOD HERE, INCLUDING OUT WITH THE GIRLS TWICE SO FAR THIS YEAR. IT FEELS GOOD TO RECONNECT.2) I'm going ask myself 'Do I really need this?' before making purchases. ALL THE TIME. I’VE WALKED AWAY 90% OF THE TIME. I STILL HAVE PROBLEM LEAVING ITEMS I THINK MY GRANDCHILDREN WOULD LOVE IN THE STORE.3) I'm going to declutter the house, starting with the holiday decorations I didn't use in years. OKAY, I ADMIT. I NEED TO WORK HARDER ON THIS ONE. I STARTED OUT GREAT, BUT HAVE SLACKED OFF. 4) I'm going to drink more milk and water, less soda, exercise five times a week for at least thirty minutes and lose 15 pounds. DAY BY DAY. I TRY REALLY HARD TO GET THOSE 8 GLASSES OF WATER AND 3 SERVING OF DAIRY IN EVERY DAY. OUT OF THE 13 WEEKS, 10 WEEKS I KEPT MY PROMISE TO EXERCISE 5 TIMES WEEK. I’M DOWN 9 POUNDS. I WAS DOWN 12, BUT A TRIP ACROSS COUNTRY FOR STEP-SON’S WEDDING ADDED A FEW BACK ON. HEY, YOU GOT TO EAT OUT SOMETIME. GRIN. I THINK I’LL TWEAK THIS GOAL AND UP THE POUNDAGE TO 20. I’D LIKE TO MENTION, I WON’T HAVE LOST AS MUCH AS I DID WITHOUT MY SUPPORT GROUP. 5) I'm going to submit my next book to my editor. WORKING ON THIS. MY READERS FOUND A FEW CHAPTER REWRITES FOR ME TO WORK ON.6) I'm going to write my another book. ACTUALLY, TOMORROW, I’M STARTING A MONTH LONG WRITING CHALLEGNE WITH ONE OF MY GROUPS. I’LL BE STARTING A NEW PROJECT.7) I'm going to take three on-line classes. ONE CLASS TAKEN- MARGIE LAWSON’S CLASS WAS AWESOME. AND, I’M LOOKING AT ANOTHER ONE WHICH STARTS TOMORROW HOSTED BY WRITER’S ON-LINE GIVEN BY MY RS SISTER SHEA BERKLEY HERE’S THE LINK http://www.writersonlineclasses.com/?page_id=1448) I'm going to read ten books outside my genre. I’VE READ TWO. BOTH GREAT BOOKS. I’VE ALSO BROUGHT A HALF DOZEN RS AUTHORS I’VE NEVER READ, SO I’M GOING TO BACK MY INTITNAL GOAL DOWN TO 8. I’D ALSO LIKE TO ADD A CRAFT TO THIS QUARTER. 9) I'm going to continue journaling. (Read my BarTender In The Sky blog) I’D REALLY LIKE TO SPEND MORE TIME HERE. 10) I'm going to take a lesson from my husband, curve my quick tongue and let go of things I have no control overl. THIS ONE TAKES PRACTICE, BUT I’M GETTING BETTER.

Friday, March 26, 2010

I was so proud to host the 2009 Golden Heart® Ruby-slipped Sisters celebration party yesterday in honor of our new Golden Heart® sisters and brother. That's right. There is a brother among the finalists. I'm not sure if this the first time a man has joined the ranks but I think it's totally AWESOME!

Below is the list of finalists released by The National RWA. Good Luck to all in Nashville this coming July.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Thank you, Autumn for allowing me to visit today, to talk about my latest book, Palace of Dreams. The book is an erotic futuristic romance set in a dream dome on the planet Cereus Prime, a sort of Las Vegas of the stars, renowned for its pleasure palaces. Of course in order to dream, a visitor first needs to dream. The dream process is fascinating so I thought I’d share a few things I learned and their influence on the book with your readers.

Six years of our lives is spent dreaming—most of it in living color by the way. Research has shown that not only humans, but mammals and birds also experience REM(rapid eye movement) sleep, the stage where dreaming occurs. Some cultures believe that we live two lives, one in the waking world and a separate one in the dream world. They even train their children to learn to control their dreams. Farfetched as that might seem, controlling your dreams is possible with practice. Such control is an adjunct to lucid dreaming, that awareness in the middle of a dream that you are dreaming. Still, despite all the research being done on the subject, scientists still aren’t completely sure what our brains are doing or why?

Maybe because my own dreams are detailed and vivid, I find the dream process to be extremely interesting. Eventually, this fascination was bound to lead somewhere in my writing. As I was reading an article on lucid dreaming, the line about Kubla Khan’s stately-pleasure domes from Samuel Coleridge’s poem, In Xanadu, popped into my head and the premise for my erotic futuristic romance, Palace of Dreams, was born.

The novel is my first foray into writing both erotic romance and science-fiction. Since I have two published historical romances I know something about world-building. At the same time I was developing my characters and plot, I also began building the world of Cereus Prime, the alien planet where the story is set. Its capital, Gemmax City is not only the commercial and financial center, but it’s also a sort of the Las Vegas of the planet, renowned for its pleasure domes, of which the dream domes are the most popular. The Celestial Crystal where Inari Rau reigns as an almost living legend among all the guides, is the most prestigious dream palace on the planet. I discovered lots of other details about my world as I wrote the story and its place among the other 17 planetary systems of the Concord of Planets. I hope that readers will be intrigued by the setting, characters and plot premise and will want to buy the book so that they can experience a visit to the Crystal Palace.

Book release date: March 5, 2010Ellora’s Cave: AeonNovel. You can purchase the book at: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8218-50-palace-of-dreams.aspx

Visit her at www.kathleencoddington.com or www.kathleencoddington.wordpress.com

Blurb:

In the dream domes of Cereus Prime visitors can fulfill their deepest erotic fantasies in sessions led by telepathic guides. Among the guides, Inari Rau is a living legend. On her final night as a guide, she receives a request to lead one last dream. During the session she loses control and is drawn into a fantasy of raw, sexual pleasure with her mysterious client.

Kastel Fane has a mission to complete—give Inari the dream of a lifetime as a farewell gift from her friends. If he succeeds, he’ll receive a hefty reward. What neither expects is the passion that ignites between them or the new psi talent that is born out of their first encounter, an ability that leads to dangerous consequences for both of them. As they fight for a future together, can Kastel prove he is the man who can finally fulfill all of Inari’s dreams?

Excerpt:

Inari yanked herself out of the man’s arms. What in the Lords of Cosmos had just happened? Somehow she had lost control of the dream. In all her years as a guide nothing like this had ever occurred. She looked around in bewilderment. Where were they? Three moons in different phases floated above her head in the night sky. A seemingly endless phosphorescent sea stretched out before her.

She caught the tang of salt on the breeze that caressed her skin. In the faint light of the triple moons she saw she was attired in a sheer sleeveless tunic that ended just above her knees. A belt of tiny sea shells surrounded her narrow waist. She held up an arm. Thousands of miniscule pale green scales glimmered softly in the moon light.

Sucking in another breath of salty air, she fought back a wave of panic. She glanced up at the three moons then out over the glowing aquamarine sea. She knew this place—had read about it in one of her many research sources. She was on Luvia, fourth planet of the Epsilon Delta system. She wrapped her arms around her and shivered despite the warmth of the night. She hadn’t just lost control of the dream. It was more than that. Someone else was controlling it.

She turned and looked at the man standing behind her. Green hair shot with silver brushed his broad shoulders. Like her he wore a sleeveless tunic that bared his muscular arms and legs, a belt of shells similar to hers around his flat waist. The deep v of his tunic revealed a considerable portion of his sleek muscled chest.The corners of his mouth quirked upward in a slight smile, but the oval tilted sea green eyes that met hers were wary. He was the same man from the other dream, the one she’d been weaving, which meant she was still linked to her client, Kastel Fane.“Incredible view, isn’t it?” His voice, deep and sensual sent a ripple of awareness through her.

Ignoring his question, Inari stalked across the pink sand and poked him in the chest. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the one doing this.”

He regarded her steadily, his expression guarded. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters.” She swung her arms wide encompassing the scene around them. “I’m not controlling this. And if you aren’t either we could become permanently locked in this dream cycle.”

The man folded his arms across his broad chest with a thoughtful frown. “According to what I’ve been told about the process, I didn’t think that was possible.”She bit her lip struggling to decide how much she should tell him. Best to be honest. “It’s rare, but it has been known to happen.”

“And when it does? What happens to the participants?”

Anger made her blunt. “They survive in a vegetative state, until their brains burn out and they die. Of course, they don’t realize what’s happening. They’re happily living their final hours in their dream world. At least that’s the theory. No one really knows for sure.”

The man she was beginning to think of as Kastel nodded, but despite the seriousness of his expression she detected a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Before she realized what he was going to do, he caught her in his arms and pulled her to him. “I can think of worst ways to die.” He bent and nuzzled the side of her neck.

Bio:

Kathleen Coddington has been writing romance on and off for 15 years. She has three books, a paranormal romance and two historical romances, published by Cerridwen Press and one erotic futuristic through Ellora’s Cave Publishing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers and the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, where she served at various times as VP, secretary and treasurer.

A retired school librarian, Kathleen enjoys reading and travel. Members of two Civil War reenacting units, she and her husband are frequent lecturers at schools and historical societies. She has also published several articles about the fashions of the mid-19th century. She and her husband and two cats live near their son in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania where she teaches a novel writing course at the local community college.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Last night, I watched American Idol. Not a big deal, right? Millions do every week.

What I found interesting was the judges’ comments to the contestants. After each performance, every single time, one or more of the judges either said, you need to find out who you are, or, you know who you are. The five contestants who heard you need to find out who you are, disappointment wiped away their smiles. The light, which had illuminated from them when they took the stage, seemed to fade, quickly. In their eyes, you saw the plea for help, your vote, so that they might have one more chance to show the world they know who they are and will achieve their dreams.

I felt sorry for them. I understood them.

Finding out who you are, for many is a long difficult process. Sometimes it takes years even decades until finally a person finds their talent, their niche, their voice and becomes so comfortable with themselves that they shine to the rest of the world.

I have to admit the three contestants who the American Idol judges declared as knowing themselves, were in my opinion by far the best performers. So are the judges right in telling these young hopefuls that they need to find out who they are if they're going to have any hope of winning this contest? I believe so.

The question today then is, how do you find out who you are? Here are a few tips that helped me. And if you'd like to share your journey tips, please do.

1)Look inside. What are you passionate about? Not just what you like. What really makes your blood rush with excitement?

2)Feed the passion every day.

3)Use the talent you unearth every single day.

4)Don’t compare yourself to others. Be you. Be passionate about being you.

*****If you like this blog, please consider following me here, on facebook, on twitter or Myspace.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Last night I went to dinner with three friends. We met ten years ago, or more. Think Laverne and Shirley meets Thelma and Louise, with dysfunctional families and career changes as the main topics of conversation.

Our little group met some ten years ago, when we all had pie-in-the-eye dreams of becoming published romance authors. Laverne met Shirley. I met Louise and we all joined a newly forming chapter of RWA on the same day and quickly stepped into board roles. Man, oh, man that seems so long ago and yet it’s just like yesterday.

Anyway, years went by and we followed the rules others told us we had to follow in order to see our poured-over-works on the shelves of B & N and Borders. We studied. We wrote. We critiqued. We placed and won contests. We submitted and probably paid a U.S. Mail carrier’s salary for a year. (Fortunately, I married a rural carrier during these years, so I got my money back) And, we received our thank you but no thank you letters month after month.

One by one, other callings caught Thelma’s, then Laverne’s, then Shirley’s eyes and they focused on their new passions. A new passion never caught my attention. I, with thick, stubborn German blood refused to give up on my life-time dream of becoming a published author and continued to study and figured out which rules I needed to break, write, kiss the postman as I handed yet another submission to mail, and waited for the answer I was longed for. Sigh.

Okay, you all know the rest. OBSESSED BY WILDFIRE is on sell now (in e-format only. It’s a fun light-hearted story. Sexy too) and my 2009 Golden Heart entry, a romantic suspense, EVIL’s WITNESS comes out on June 18, 2010. Our gathering last night was in celebration of my first review, which was totally awesome. While laughing and chatting about past experiences we shared, I saw the joy in my friends’ eyes, but I also saw the longing they’d let go years ago.

So my question today, what keeps you from walking away from something that you’re passionate about? It doesn’t have to be writing related.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following me and pass it on to your own Laverne, Shirley and Thelma.

And,if you'd like to read that super review go to my websitewww.autumnjordon.com Thanks.

Perfect Reunion Romance

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Welcome to my blog. Each week I share my life, or writing tips, or my work. At times, I have wonderful guests stop by.
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Want to learn more about my works or me? Hop over to my website. www.autumnjordon.com